Megyn Kelly Defends Alex Jones’ Interview, But Sandy Hook Theorist Doesn’t Want It Aired

NBC News host Megyn Kelly defended her upcoming interview with "Infowars"' Alex Jones, who has repeatedly alleged that the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School never happened. Kelly faced backlash from social media users and parents of children who were killed in the 2012 shooting after she announced the interview will air June 18.

Kelly tweeted a teaser of the interview and called it a “riveting exchange.” However, Twitter users criticized her and accused Kelly of promoting the prominent conspiracy theorist’s views and giving credence to Jones. The "Infowars" radio host had previously claimed the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook in Newton, Connecticut, that killed 20 children was staged. He also maintained the alleged fake attack was carried out by the government.

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Amid the social media outrage, Kelly noted on Twitter that President Donald Trump has praised Jones’ radio show and also appeared on it. She also said that in the interview, Jones described himself as “a libertarian who ‘likes what Republicans stand for’ but also has a few problems with them.”

During the interview, Kelly talked to Jones about his claims.

“When you say parents faked their children’s deaths, people get upset,” she said.

“But they don’t get angry about half a million dead Iraqis killed by sanctions,” Jones answered.

The "Infowars" host, however, is now demanding NBC News should not air the show as it misrepresented him.

In a live stream Monday, Jones alleged Kelly lied to him and told him she wouldn’t ask him about Sandy Hook or other conspiracies.

“Megyn Kelly lied to me several weeks before she came here,” he said. “She said that the interview was not going to be about Sandy Hook and the mass shooting there, and it was not going to be about… other issues that the media always obsesses on and misrepresents what I’ve said and what I’ve done.”

“They had it [the promo of the interview] edited where it sounded like I said nobody [died]… and that’s why I’m calling for the piece not to air next Sunday on Father’s Day.”

“I realized something was weird, how she was tying fatherhood and being a father and my children and then kept bringing up Sandy Hook and it all clicked today.”

He also said he was generally not represented properly and he knew the interview would not be a profile on him. Jones maintained he recently declined to appear on other television shows such as ABC’s “The View.”

Read: Alex Jones Joins War On Fake News

“It’s boring, a bunch of zombies watch it,” he said. “I don’t need MSN[BC]. I don’t need their quote ‘validation.’ They have zombies watching, so it would be like giving a speech to a graveyard. It would have no effect.”

NBC did not respond to Jones’ statement and it remains unclear whether the network will go ahead with its plans to air the interview following the criticism.

The criticism of Kelly also triggered reactions from advertisers. Banking heavyweight J.P. Morgan Chase decided to pull its ads from NBC News until after the interview airs, a source told the Wall Street Journal on Monday. The report noted the company did not want its ads to be aired while the promotions of the interview were on.